It Turns Out the Beautiful Girl Who Was Supposed to Be Aiming for My Handsome Best Friend Was Actually after Me

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10 years later.

On a calm autumn afternoon, Ayaka sat on the living room sofa while flipping through an old photo album.

Next to her, our four-year-old daughter, Yuna, snuggled close, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

The pages of the album were filled with photos of Ayaka and me when we were younger.

There were pictures from our high school dates, snapshots on the university campus, and memories from trips we took after starting our careers…

“Mom, where is this?”

Yuna pointed at a photo with her tiny finger.

Ayaka chuckled softly and nodded.

“This is the place where your dad and I had our very first date. And, well… your dad gave me lots of kisses here too.”

“Ehh! That’s so cool!!”

“Hey, wait! That was supposed to be a secret!”

Yuna’s eyes sparkled even brighter. Ayaka continued to turn the pages of the album while speaking gently.

“After that, we had so many other experiences, you know? For example… the time after we got into university…”

“Please, don’t start that story…”

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As soon as we started university, Ayaka and I joined the same club. We spent almost every day together and grew even closer, but we also made a lot of mistakes.

The most embarrassing one was the time I got Ayaka’s birthday wrong.

I had completely mixed up the date and thought her birthday was a week earlier. I even roped in our club friends to plan a surprise party.

We bought a cake, and everyone sang, “Happy Birthday!” but Ayaka’s face slowly froze.

“Eh, Takuya-kun… my birthday is next week…”

Everyone burst out laughing, and I turned pale and dropped to my knees in apology.

But Ayaka just smiled and said, “Even that part of you is cute, so I forgive you♡.”

Just thinking about it now makes me want to crawl into a hole.

Another time, we had a huge fight because I was way too possessive.

When Ayaka said she was going to a club drinking party, I bombarded her with questions, “Who are you going with? Until what time? Are there guys?”

In the end, Ayaka shouted, “You’re so annoying!” and ran off crying. She wouldn’t talk to me for a whole week.

Looking back, I really was such a child back then…?

After graduating from university and starting our jobs, we got busier, and our dates became less frequent. But once we started living together, our relationship actually grew even stronger.

Still, balancing work and love was tricky. One time, Ayaka asked me, “Which is more important, work or me?” I was tired and just said, “Work comes first right now,” without thinking, and that led to a huge fight.

Ayaka ended up crying and leaving the house, and I regretted it so much.

In the end, I went on an apology date while holding flowers and kneeling to beg for forgiveness. Ayaka said, “If you ever do the same thing again, I’ll crush your…,” and then forgave me.

And then… came the proposal.

I was so nervous. The plan was to propose at a restaurant with a view of the city lights with a ring in hand.

But because of my nerves, I blurted out, “Let’s get married!” in a park before we even got to the restaurant, and Ayaka laughed.

“Wait… wasn’t this supposed to happen at the restaurant?” she said, reading me like a book. “…That’s…//” I stammered, and she smiled and said, “Yes. Let’s be together from now on, forever.”

I quickly pulled the ring out of my pocket… but it turned out to be the case for a Bluetooth earphone that looked almost the same.

“Oh, wait! I forgot the ring!” I panicked. In the end, I had to go home and propose properly again.

Even the ring size was a little loose, so we had to adjust it. Honestly… it was such an embarrassing proposal.

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When Ayaka finished telling the story with a happy smile, Yuna clapped her hands in delight.

“Daddy, you made so many mistakes! That’s so funny!”

Ayaka chuckled softly.

“That’s right. But all those mistakes led us to today.”

“Wait… maybe don’t say any more.”

I muttered, and the sound of our laughter filled the living room.

The story of us, which had started with a misunderstanding, had led to this happy and peaceful everyday life.

I thought to myself that, even from now on, we’d probably keep making little mistakes, but we’d keep moving forward together.